Students with undocumented parents are increasingly hesitating to complete the FAFSA amid fears that federal data-sharing practices could expose their families to immigration enforcement. A student interviewed for the story described closing the application after realizing the risk it could create for parents without Social Security numbers. The reporting points to data-sharing concerns analyzed by the University of Washington Center for Human Rights and reviewed by ProPublica, alongside a noted decline in FAFSA completion in immigrant-heavy communities even as overall applications rise. Counseling and admissions advocates say the effect is likely to reduce access to federal aid for eligible U.S. citizen students—potentially worsening enrollment equity and student success outcomes. The issue is now becoming a direct admissions and financial aid operations challenge for universities serving high shares of mixed-status families.